Machine



(No Model.) 5. sheets-smeet 1. B. L. STOWE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

PatentedjNov. 20, 1888.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. L. STOWE.

KNITTI-NG MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

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(No Model.)

B; L.` 'ST'OWEL KNITTING MACHINE.

N. PETERS Phmo-Ulhognpher. washingmn. ILCA (No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

B. L. ST'OWE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 898,189. Patented Nov. 2o, 1888.

Nirnn STATES BENJAMIN L. STOVE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO J. VAN D. REED, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,189, dated November 20, 1888.

Application led August 3, 1885. Renewed January 9, 1888. Serial No. 260,220. (No lnodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN L. STowE, of the city, county, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is especially adapted for the knitting of tubular fabrics, and will be described and illustrated as arranged for that Io purpose; but some features thereof may be employed with equal advantage upon machines arranged for knitting flat fabrics possessing longitudinal strands and Wefts.

English Patent No. 14,270, O. L., granted to Nichols, Livesey, and Wroughton, and United States Patents No. 140,635 to George Merrill and No. 311,410 to Cornelius Callahan, are all intended to make a fabric similar to that madeA upon my improved knitting-machine when 2o arranged as shown in the drawings; but these machines all possess in a greater or less degree a fault that I have entirely obviated with my invention-viz., a liability of thephooks or latches of the needles to catch or misplace the longitudinal strands. Such occurrences are impossible upon myimproved machine, owing to the fact that the needles perform their knitting operations entirely upon one side of the longitudinal strands. The strands and needles therefore never pass or come in contact with one another, as they do in the previous patents above mentioned. In all machines of this class prior to my present invention it was necessary that some or all of the knitting- 3 5 needles should pass from one side of the series of longitudinal strands to the other side thereof, in order to catch the knitting-thread. I accomplish the same object, without the necessity of passing any of the knitting-needles 4o through the series of longitudinal strands, by

means of devices which I te'rm feedinghooks.77 These feeding-hooks may be, made of any suitable form, even needles from which the latches have been removed answering the purpose; but I prefer to make them of such form that it will be impossible for them to The office of the feeding-hooks is to pass the knitting thread or threads through the series of longitudinal strands, an operation that alternates With the laying of the weft-thread upon said strands, and there deliver the said knitting-thread to the knittingneedles, by which it is looped in the usual manner,

United States Patents Nos. 222,327 and 221,628, granted to me describe, respectively, 6o a knitted fabric and a machine for making the same. The machine therein described, with a few alterations, may be made to embody my present invention, as the forms of the two machines resemble each other, the situation and movement of the feeding-hooks being similar to that of the horizontal needles in said patent; also, the fabric may be made upon a machine possessing my present improvements combined with certain other improvements. 7o This latter machine I have made the subject ofa separate application, filed August 3, 1885, Serial No.- 173,407. f

The principal feature of my present invention pointed ont above, as well as the other im- 7 5 provements therein contained, can best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is shown a means for carrying it into effect.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a front eleva- 8o tion of a knitting-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same with a portion of the frame cnt away to expose the take-up mechanism. Fig.

3 is a horizontal section on line c x of Fig. 2, 85 showing a plan of a guiding-framefor the longitudinal strands. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line y y of Fig. 2, showing upon a larger scale the longitudinal strands, yarnguide, knitting-thread positions of the feedinghooks, and the knitting-needles. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line z z of Fig. 5. Fig. 7l

is a similar view upon a smaller scale, showing the needle and feed-hook operating mechanism. Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the cam which operates the feed-hooks. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a knitting-thread feeding and regulating device. Figs. 10 and 11 are, respectively, front and side elevations of the 10o same.

A2- represents the frame of the machine; A,

. hooks.

the bed supported thereon; B', a plate resting upon the bed, and B the needle-cylinder carried by said plate and provided with vertical grooves in which fit the shanks c of the knitting-needles a. A cam-ring, C, actuated by the main driving-shaft D, th rough gear-wheels C Cl C Gt, serves to give the usual vertical reciprocation at the proper times to the needles c. The longitudinal strands 5 pass from a creel or spool-rack (not shown) down within the needle-cylinder B and circle of needles a.

The strands are arranged to alternate with the 1 needles, being situated opposite to the spaces between the latter, the proper guidance being afforded by plate I-I, rings H IP, and the feeding-hooks, hereinafter described. rlhe plate H is supported upon standards A rising from the bed A. It is semicircular in form and provided along its rear edge with a series of eyes, through which the strands 5 enter the machine from the rear thereof. An annular portion, I, of the plate II, situated above and concentrically with the series of needles a, and provided with guide-eyes,concentrates the strands 5 into a circle and directs them downward through the ring H, outside of the ring H, and between the feeding-hooks on which said rings rest, whence they pass into the needlecylinder B, alternating in position with the needles, as shown in Fig. 5, but out of reach of their reciprocation.

rIhe knitting-threads 2 2, two of which are used in the particular construction illustrated, are supplied from bobbins i t' carried by a revolving frame, il', on the central vertical shaft J. It may here be remarked that the machine illustrated is arranged for double work, two weft-threads, 3 3, as well as knitting-threads 2 2, being simultaneously and independently laid around the fabric, and two knitting operations being at the same time performed at different points on the circumference, the cams for operating the knitting mechanism being of the necessary shape. The machine may, however, obviouslyrbearranged to do single, or more thanvdouble work. The shaft J is driven in .ff /inison with the cam-ring C from the main shaft D through gearing C G2 C, jj', shaft JZ, and gearing j2 ji* j" At the lower end of shaft J are carriedtwo arms, k k, by which, as they rotate, the knitting-threads 2 2 are delivered to the feeding- The threads 2 2 coming from the bobbins Z Z, also carried by the shaft J, and having been, if desired, passed through a` regulating device, hereinafter described, pass down through eyes 7c in the arms lr, and then upward through tubular eyes k2 in the outer ends of said arms, which eyes 7a2 are so situated that the knitting-threads 2 2 are by the rotation of the arms trailed along in contiguity with or near the under side of the series of feeding-hooks X and that side of the series of strands 5 which is opposite to that upon which the knitting-needles are situated in the organization of the machine shown, the inner side of said series of strands.

The feeding-hooks X (see Figs. 5 and G) lie horizontally, and are arranged concentrically with the series of strands 5 and knittingneedles a. In the construction shown they are equal in climber' to the said needles and strands, and alternate with and at their inner ends lie between the latter. They are so situated relatively to the needles a that each of the latter has a feeding-hook above and substantially in line with it. e

The engaging portion of the feeding-hooks consists of a downward projection, x', which extends below the plane in which the tubular eyes k2 deliver the knitting thread, and is adapted to engage with (see Fig. 6) and draw said thread ont through the seriesof longitudinal strands 5. (See Fig. 5.) rIhe projections w are bifurcated, as indicated by dotted lines, to admit of their passage inward o ver the ends of the needle-hooks when the latter are raised to engage the knitting-thread, as indicated at the right hand of Fig. G. The radial reciprocation of the feeding-hooks X may be effected by the mechanism used to similarly aetuate the horizontal needles in my patent, No. 221,628, above referred to-viz., a cam-ring, F, engaging with the butts of the feeding-hooks, and means for rotating the same in unison with the cam-ring C and shaft J, such as shafts J 2 and gearing f, &c.

The weft thread or threads 3 3 are so laid against the strands 5 as to be held thereto by the knitting-threads after thelatter havebeen looped by the knitting needles. The said weft-threads are supplied from bobbins Z Z, carried by the cam-ring C, and passing over the tops of the needles a, when in their lowermost position, (see the left-hand side of Fig. 6,)are deposited upon the outer side of the strands 5 by means of guides o. (See Fig. l.) The threads 2 2 are as fast as the weft 3 3 is laid drawn out over the latter by the feedinghooks X, and caught, looped, and knit by the needles a in the usual manner. I have referred above to a means for regulating the knitting-threads. I have devised and shown in the drawings a regulator, which may or may not be used with the machine so far described, and which may be used with advantage with other machines of an' analogous character.

L is a fixed vdisk or ring having one or more grooves around its periphery, preferably as many as there are knitting-threads.

L L are arms adapted to be revolved in unison with the bobbins liaround thering L, and each having guide-eyes Z'2 Z3 Z". The guideeyesof one arm are situated and revolve in the plane of one of the grooves of the ring L and the guide-eyes of the other arm in the plane of the other groove. The eye Z3 is opposite the middle of the groove,whle the eyes Z2 Z* are, respectively, above and below the v.. Z3. The threads 2 2 from the bobbinsZ i in through, say, the eyes Z, thence aro ring or disk L, then through the eyes Z, then ce again around the ring, and then out, thrcngi IOO IlO

the eyes Z2, whence they pass to the guide-eyes k k2, by the latter of which they are laid within reach of the feeding-hooks, as already described. The ring or disk L being of such circumference as to hold just the quantity of thread required to knit one circumference of the fabric, it is evident that at each revolution of the arms L a uniform and suitable quantity of the thread will be drawn from the bobbins t' i and delivered to the needles. The eye Z3 serves to keep the turns of the threadin their proper position in the vgroove of the ring L, constantly relaying` the middle turn of the thread in the middle of the groove.

The operation of the devicesso far described is as follows: The longitudinal strands being in position, the bobbins being supplied with weft and knitting threads, and the threads being led through their proper guide-eyes, motion is imparted to the main shaft D by beltpulley D', or other means. The feeding-hooks X move outward in succession, carrying with them, by means of the projections x', bights of the knittingthreads 2 2, said threads havu ing been measured off by the ring or disk L sion rise, each as its turn arrives, at a distance rollers M N from the longitudinal strands 5, but inside of the bight of knitting-thread, held by its feeding-hook. The feeding-hooks now return inward, each leaving its bight of knitting-thread upon the hook of its needle. The latter are successively drawn down by the cam-ring C, the weft-threads 3 3 are laid by the guides o in the upper and outer angle formed by the crossing of the strands 5, and the knittingthreads 2 2 held, as described, by the needles, and the needles rise again and receive another bight of the knitting-thread,which they draw down over the layer of weft above mentioned and through the previously-formed loops of knitting-thread, making the well-known knitting-stitch. rlhe continued repetition of the above operations produces a tubular fabric which, as it is formed, passes down through the needle-cylinder B. Below the fabricforming mechanism is the take-up apparatus by which the fabric is fed therefrom. M N are transverse shafts mounted in bearings in the lower part of the frame A2, and carrying O is a parallel shaft mounted in the armsp of levers P fulcrumed by rockshaft p to the frame A2. The extension p' of the said lever is adapted by its own weight or by weights to be applied thereto to press the shaft O and roller Q carried thereby toward the roller M. The completed fabric passes between rollers Q and M', then under the latter, and thence over the roller N and out of the machine, asindicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. The surfaces of rollers Q and M are caused to maintain the same superficial speed by gear-wheels q on, of proper relative size.

Motion may be imparted to the above-dcscribed take-up mechanism in any suitable way. A shaft, R, ratchet-wheel r, pawl 1", pitman frz and crank-wheel d, transmitting power in an obvious manner from the main shaft D, through miter-gears R to worm-shaft S, and worm-wheels M2 N2 on the roller-shafts M and N may be used. A hand-wheeLR2, enables the taking upof the fabric to be assisted by hand when desired.

What I claim is-` l. The combination, with guiding devices for the longitudinal strands, of the knittingthread-delivering mechanism, knitting-needle situated and operating substantially parallel to the position of the strands,actuating mechanism for the needles and feeding-hooks, and actuating mechanism for passing the knittingthread through the strands and delivering it to the knitting-needles, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination,with guiding devices for the longitudinal strands,of knitting-needles arranged substantially parallel and at adistance from the position of said strands, actuating mechanism for said needles, devices for delivering the weft-thread, devices for delivering the knitting-thread upon thesides of the longitudinal strands opposite to the needles, and feeding-hooks andY actuating mechanism for passing the knitting thread through said strands and delivering it to the knittingneedles, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. rIhe combination, with guiding devices for the longitudinal strands, of the knittingthreadfeeding devices, needles and actuating mechanism, and the feeding hooks having inward extensions which remain between the longitudinal strands during the movement of said hooks, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a stationary ring or disk, an arm having guide-eyes for the kitting-thread in the. plane of said ring or disk, mechanism for rotating the arm in said relation to the ring or disk, and devices for delivering the knitting-,thread to the knitting mechanism, said ring or disk being of a circumference equal to the length of knittingthread required during the rotation of the arm, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination, with the shaft J and theknitting mechanism, of the guide for the longitudinal strands having the semicireular series of guide-eyes for receiving the strands from one side of the machine, and the circular series of.guideeyes for directing said strands, as described, relative to the shaft J and the knitting mechanism,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

` BENJAMIN L. STOWE. l/Vitnesses:

FREDERICK A. STOWE, NATHAN Brown.

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